We’ve got more cyclo-cross than you can shake a muddy Colnago at, this fine EuroTrash Monday morning, all the reports, results and video to get you to the New Year. Looks like Samu Sànchez is without a team for next year, but many other riders do and we have all the news from around the World of Cycling: Italy, Australia, Spain, France and Belgium all get a mention. Happy New Year everyone!

TOP STORY: Still No Team for Samu?
Stefano Feltrin is the new general manager of the Saxo-Tinkoff team, soon to be Tinkoff-Saxo; he has been in the job less than a month, since Oleg Tinkov bought the team. But the Italian has been busy: first it was the positive test of Michael Rogers, then he has had to deny that Tinkov vetoed the signing of Samuel Sànchez, which was reported by the Spanish newspaper El País.

“We said very clearly that the team is run by Bjarne [Riis] in relation to everything to do with the sports side. Oleg said in the press conference [announcing the team’s change of ownership – ed.] that he is not interfering. I understand that Samuel Sànchez may have said differently, but it not accurate. Oleg Tinkov never put a veto on anyone.” explained Stefano Feltrin to VeloNation.

According to El Pais: “Tinkov had rejected the signing of Samuel Sánchez with the intention of bringing in young Russian riders after the disappointing positive by Michael Rogers. At the same time the Russian Tweeted: “it was a misunderstanding, I trust and believe in him.”

Samuel Sanchez had believed that there had been a “verbal agreement” but now accepts that there may be no future for him in cycling, saying: “I hope I get a gift from the three Kings that didn’t come to me at Christmas, I don’t want to retire because I had no choice”.

So possibly this could be a sad end to the career of Samuel Sànchez.

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup-Heusden-Zolder 2013
Dutch national champion Lars van der Haar (Rabobank development) consolidated his World Cup overall lead by winning the fifth round in Zolder on Thursday. At the finish he distanced a group with Martin Bina (Kwadro-Stannah) in second and Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) in third. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) had a bad start when he messed up at a pole turn and World champion Sven Nys (Crelan-KDL) was not on a good day and finished 6th at 4 seconds. The battle for the win was between Van der Haar and Stybar, with Stybar taking the lead on the last lap. Due to his short Cross season Stybar was short on technical skills and lost out to Van der Haar and Bina in the last run-up section.

Lars van der Haar now leads the World Cup with 337 points from Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus) with 304 points and Klaas Vantoenout (Sunweb-Napoleon) with 279 points.

American champion Katie Compton (Trek) got the better of World Cyclo-cross champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank Liv/Giant) after a bad start. Vos and Belgian champion Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) broke away and were in the lead by the half way point. Compton worked he way up to the two leaders and then attacked them. Cant was the first to be dropped and then Vos for Compton to lengthen her overall World Cup lead on Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea) who finished 4th just ahead of Lucie Chainel of BH-SR Suntour-KMC.

BPost Bank Trofee-Azencross 2013
World champion Sven Nys (Crelan-KDL) won the fifth round of the Bpost Bank Trofee in Loenhout, Belgium on Friday. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) animated the race with a battle royal with Nys until he faltered with two laps to go and Nys flew off for the victory. Albert made a brave chase with Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea) but they couldn’t catch Nys and Peeters took the sprint for 2nd.

World Cyclo-cross champion; Marianne Vos (Rabobank Liv/Giant) got her own back on Katie Compton (Trek) for her recent defeats by taking the Azencross on Friday. After a fast start from Ellen Van Loy (DNCS-Pro 2012), Compton put up a fast pace that only Vos could follow. Behind them, British and Belgian champions; Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea) and Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) crashed to ruin their race. A slip by Compton allowed Vos to take a gap, but the American fought back for Vos to attack her for a 47 second victory. Helen Wyman (Kona) was third and so held her lead in the BPost Bank Trofee over Cant and Harris.

Versluys Cyclo-cross-Bredene 2013
After 8th, 3rd and 5th place finishes in Essen, Heusden-Zolder, and Loenhout, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Zdenek Stybar took the win in just his fourth cyclocross race of the season at Versluys Cyclocross Bredene. It is the 61st victory for OPQS (three disciplines) in 2013.

There were five riders that were the protagonists of the race. However, in the final lap, Rob Peeters tried to go alone. He couldn’t gain more than a few seconds. Stybar didn’t give up and caught Peeters. The Czech champion, and former UCI World Cyclocross Champion, outsprinted Peeters. Dieter Vantourenhout completed the podium in third.

“It was both a fast and technical race,” Stybar said. “There were two scenarios. The course was dry when we started, making it fast, but it started to rain causing a bit of mud. That changed the traction and made it more difficult and slippery. That’s when the race became technical. During the race the group became smaller and smaller, and then in the last lap Peeters attacked. I was able to close the gap, but in the last corner at 150 meters from the finish I lost contact with Peeters briefly. But I gave everything. In my head it was all or nothing at that point. There was a headwind, which helped me to come back to Peeters and win the race. I am a bit surprised but really happy about this victory It is important to me. I would like to thank the supporters who were here at this race and every race so far It’s always nice to come back to this environment and have good results. Tomorrow I will have my 4th race in a row, which is a first for me. I am curious to see how my body will react.”Thanks to the OPQS Team for the race info.

Superprestige Diegem 2013
World champion Sven Nys (Crelan-KDL) dominated Sunday’s Superprestige race in Diegem from start to finish, with only one slip on a tricky floodlit course. Nys started fast with only Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) able to follow him. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) started a chase of Nys and Meeusen on the second lap with Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea), but Peeters was not able to stay with him. Nys made his move and looked to have the race when he slipped on a tight right hand corner allowing Meeusen and Albert to catch him, although Albert was in trouble straight away and was dropped on the fifth lap. Then with just over a lap to go, on a muddy climb, Nys was away leaving Meeusen to struggle to the finish 21 seconds down. At the finish Nys dismounted and carried his Colnago (he will be on Trek next year) across the line in thanks to his team and retiring manager; Gérard Bulens. Meeusen pulled a wheelie in second and Albert was third, Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) came in fourth; tired after his win on Saturday.

Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP), the Belgian champion, won the women’s race earlier in the day ahead of a weakened field with many of the top girls missing. Ellen Van Loy (Telenet-Fidea) made a fast start, but Cant and Eva Lechner (Colnago-Südtirol) with Elle Anderson (California Giant) trying to hold them. After Van Loy had blown up, Cant and Lechner pushed on, Anderson managed to get with the two up front at one point, but was not fast enough. In the end Cant dropped the Italian champion; Lechner for 8 seconds at the finish and Anderson came close, 2 seconds back.

Evans to ride Australian National Championships
BMC’s Cadel Evans will compete in the Australian national championships in Ballarat on the 12th of January 2014. He will be BMC’s only representative and it will be his first race of the New Year and the first time he has competed in the champs since 2005. He will then move on to ride the Tour Down Under. “The national road race presents the first genuine racing opportunity of the year,” Evan said. “Provided my training form continues as planned and following a final consultation with my team, I’m looking forward to lining up on Sunday morning for a solid hit out against a quality field.” As to riding solo: “It’s always going to be a challenge taking on the larger teams such as Orica-GreenEdge and Drapac without my BMC team mates in support, but I would expect the race to give me a good early season form guide leading into a solid block of racing over the coming months.”

A Classics Season for Boasson Hagen in 2014
Edvald Boasson Hagen will base his 2014 season on Northern Classics, his calendar was released by procycling.no consisting of: Challenge de Mallorca, Tour of Oman, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, E3 Harelbeke, Ghent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Unlike the past two years he will not contest the Tour Down Under and will focus more on training.

Last year, his best finish in the cobbled classics was 9th in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke, 17th in Flanders and 47th in Roubaix. Since his victory in the 2009 Ghent-Wevelgem he has not lived up to expectations in the Classics since moving to the Sky team in 2010.

He has had 23 wins with the British team and is always a strong domestique in the Tour de France, especially in 2012 and the triumph of Wiggins, where he won two stages. He has also raised his arms with stage wins in the Giro d’Italia, Tirreno-Adriatico and Dauphiné and won the Eneco Tour last year, and has classic wins in Vattenfall Cyclassics and GP Plouay, besides being Norwegian national champion on several occasions.

Believe – Edvald Boasson Hagen by SHIMANORaceTV:

The Vuelta a Murcia Repeats Classic format
The Murcian town of Beniel will host the 34th Tour of Murcia, to be held on March 1st, 2014, over a distance of 200 kilometres and end, like this year, in the Castle of Lorca, after climbing through the Sierra Espuña and the Alto de Collado Bermejo.

At the presentation of the Murcia race it was announced that the format will again be a one day Classic. The Vuelta a Murcia hopes that the best local riders; Alejandro Valverde, Luis León Sánchez and Rubén Fernández will take part.

Egoi Martinez: “I leave with a smile”
Egoi Martínez is saying goodbye to cycling. He had a contract for the 2014 season and thought that would be the last of his long professional career. But the man from Navarro has been one more of the victims of the disappearance of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team and has had to hang his wheels up a year early.

“It is not my desired end. We fought with all our strength to find something, but it has not been possible. We must accept it. I know that I have to put the final full stop at this stage to be able to concentrate on another stage of my life,” stated Egoi.

Despite his 35 years, Martínez has had a more than decent season: 22nd in the Giro d’Italia and 30th in the Vuelta a España, despite his ‘domestique’ work for the team. “I looked hard wanting to continue. I hoped that a WorldTour team would be interested in my services, but I am conscious of the serious moment which professional cycling is in.”

With his farewell he has no resentments: “I’m going with this small thorn in my side, but with a big smile, and much gratitude to the fans, colleagues, sponsors… the great races, riders make them important but they are our environment. Without them nothing would be possible.”

“Cycling has given me much. It has also taken many things, but thankfully I can say that the first far exceeds the latter.” Adding: “I say goodbye to cycling to tackle another stage in my life. It will probably be less nice, but who knows? I know whatever I do, I will do eagerly and with the same enthusiasm,” he concluded.

Bretagne-Séché Environnement Race in White for 2014
The Bretagne-Séché Environnement team has released its kit for next season new. The French team also show their new Kemo bikes; model KE-R8 5KS, and KE-T5 for the time trial.

Once again the main goal for the team is to receive a ‘wild card’ invite to the Tour de France.

Photo: Bretagne-Séché Environnement team.

Lefevere: “The sponsors wanted Uran, we had no budget for Chavanel”
Patrick Lefevere, the manager of the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step team in an interview with Belgian television Sporza has spoken about the difficult season of Tom Boonen, the leaving of Sylvain Chavanel and the arrival of Rigoberto Uran. “The only negative this season has been the misfortune of our leader, Tom Boonen,” Lefevere confessed. After a brilliant 2012, Boonen had no luck in 2013: a broken collarbone, surgery for an infection in his elbow and a cyst in the perineum has prevented him from repeating his good season. “Still, it’s a relief to him that we were able to have a great season,” commenting on the 57 victories the team achieved on the road.

Lefevere hopes Boonen will regain his level. “Nobody believes that Boonen is finished, he still has a lot of value on this team. The owner of the OPQS team Bakala spoke with us at a training camp recently and said Boonen is to remain the star of the team. I’m sure he will make a great season, he is a guarantee of success, is full of enthusiasm and his results will provide physical evidence that he is great.”

As to the loss of Sylvain Chavanel after 5 years to IAM Cycling, Lefevere said: “It will be very difficult to replace him. Not only for being a great rider, but for his human value. Our sponsors wanted a rider to have a presence on the major tours. For the Tour we decided it would be Uran, but then we had no budget for Chavanel. Still, I think Chavanel understood our situation and was happy.” Lefevere has high hopes for Uran. “I have followed him for some time. He is 26 years old and is ready for the big fights. A good kid that requires little care.” After 3 seasons at the University of Sky , the Colombian is believes to be “ready to lead the Omega!”

Tom Boonen – Best Moments 2002-2012:

Gallopin: All for the Classics
Tony Gallopin is commitment to the Classics in the first half of the 2014 season. The French rider will lead Lotto-Belisol and try to take his opportunities in both; the cobbles and the Ardennes Classics.

“The Lotto-Belisol team has given me the certainty that I can ride all the great classic with the team,” he claimed a few weeks ago. Gallopin recognizes the passion for cycling that exists in Belgium. “I love the culture of Belgian races, the courses and the environment. The Belgians live for cycling. I would not mind if the Flemish crowds adopt me as one of their own one day,” he claimed. “Even though I might need more talent to win a race like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flanders is what I dreamed of since I was a child,” he added.

“I cannot explain it, but there is simply no more beautiful than the Tour of Flanders race. Peter van Petegem (winner in 1999 and 2003), was my idol. When I was 13 I bought the bike of Leif Hoste (second in the editions of 2004, 2006 and 2007) and rode it for two years, “he recalled.

Lotto Belisol 2013
The Belgian team have had a good season and here they sum it up with this video:

Paolo Bettini Resigns
The Italian national road team coach; Paolo Bettini has handed in his resignation to the Federation president Renato Di Rocco and according to the Gazzetta dello Sport he will be working for the proposed Fernando Alonso team which is to start in 2015, with an announcement to be made on January the 7th.

Di Rocco will now have to choose a new coach and the suggestion is that the job could go to either Stefano Zanini or Davide Cassani (see story below).

RAISport Team Re-Vamp
It appears trouble is brewing at Italian national broadcaster RAI over the format of their cycling coverage for 2014 with doubts too over just who will present both their on-air live coverage and the increasingly popular post-stage Giro show, Processo alla Tappa. Widely reported in the Italian media and the subject of a second article in two months in the Italian cycling Magazine, Bicisport, the problems reportedly centre around the probable appointment of Auro Bulbarelli to the head of RAISport.

Bulbarelli himself has spent much of his career as a cycling journalist and was part of RAISport’s cycling commentary team up until 2009 when he was appointed deputy director of RAISport with responsibility over all areas of the cycling coverage.

The dropping of popular female presenter Alessandra de Stefano from the Processo alla Tappa team was to make way for Bulbarelli himself to take over the show, that thanks to the free availability on the channel’s internet page, has also gained a considerable following in the non-Italian speaking cycling world.

The decision – at present – is far from decided with De Stefano herself putting her case in person at RAI HQ in Rome. Other possible changes for the new season also include the return of ex-Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli, who up until the beginning of the 2013 season was a motorbike based technical commentator for much of RAI’s cycling coverage. It was also reported by Bicisport that current RAI director Mauro Mazza was astonished with the amount of money ex-pro Davide Cassani was being paid for his contribution to the sport’s coverage. With the other reports circulating this week that Cassani will take over the role of Italian national team director following Paolo Bettini’s move to Fernando Alonso’s new cycling team, it might be that a proposed pay cut at RAI and a new job elsewhere, might see the end to Cassani’s insightful contributions on programs such as TGiro.Thanks to Matt Conn for the report.

Some of the Better Moments of 2013:
A New Year starts on Wednesday and I’m sure we are all looking forward to the excitement. Here are some of the best bits of 2013:

The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it down the right hand side on the home page, just above the EuroTrash section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.